1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to battery operated, mobile patient ventilators for use on patients while the patients are temporarily disconnected from a stationary artificial respirator. More particularly, it pertains to patient ventilators using a modified version of the manually operated conventional air-mask-bag-units, herein referred to as AMBUs, so as to allow both an automatic operation as well as a manual operation of the modified AMBU.
2. Description of the Relevant Prior Art
Mobile powered respirators and ventilators are used to provide clean and healthy air to the user with little to no breathing effort on the part of the user. Such devices often depend on a mobile expendable power source, such as rechargeable batteries, in order to power a motor connected to a fan so as to create a high pressure region of air to be taken in by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,151 issued Sep. 19, 1989 to Forrest M. Bird discloses a mobile self-contained ventilator which inhibits water from condensing in the one or more cartridges containing the pressurized air.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,056 issued Dec. 12, 1989 to Keith Simpson discloses a positive pressure filter respirator in which an electric motor drives a fan which draws air through the filter canister into the mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,740 issued Feb. 13, 1990 to Michael L. Napolitano discloses a portable respirator system carried around a waist belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,694 issued Feb. 27, 1990 to Volker Hager discloses a portable ventilating apparatus for a protective suit in which a blower supplies air to ventilate a suit as well as supplies air to a mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,687 issued Mar. 6, 1990 to Jorma Ponkala discloses a respirator in which a sensor monitors a parameter of the motor operating a blower to provide feedback to a circuit driving the motor, thereby providing a constant output of the blower under increase load conditions due to the clogging of the filter.
None of the prior art of record discloses the features by which an air-mask-bag-unit is modified to provide both manual as well as automatic operation of the patient ventilator of the present invention.